CC/DC: Saturday
By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan
Good day everyone - the doubles duel between the Bryan brothers and the Bryan beaters (Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra) gets underway at 1:30, with the pressure squarely on the French side to extend the tie. Before we get to that, one last word about the epic Blake/Mathieu rubber:
When I returned to the press cave after the nearly four-hour match, the consensus was that we'd just seen a classic. Bonnie Ford from ESPN.com summed it up best, saying, "You caught a good one, Ed." Considering the lengthy drive that was required just to get here, I simply responded with "Yeah, it was worth my time."
Naturally, our next focus was on the post-match press conferences. Paul-Henri Mathieu was first. Alongside the defeated Frenchman was captain Guy Forget, and it was probably a good thing to have him nearby. Mathieu was understandably devastated with how things turned out:
"What do you want me to say? It was a pretty close match. I had two match points. I was ahead. What do you want me to say? The guy almost closed his eyes on the match point. He make two return like he never did in the match. What do you want me to say? I have to give him some credit."
Since Mathieu - as he said - didn't have anything to say, Forget stepped in like a father protecting his son. His viewpoint on what transpired was objective, while still consoling:
"You know, I think things happen for a reason. And, you know, I've seen some French journalists just before talking about bad luck. It's not bad luck. I think James deserved to win. He went [for] his shots. He made them. Paul-Henri played perfect 99% of the time. I mean, just that last point, a couple of points where he could have played differently. His position was not right. Now we're talking about very tiny little details, but that's what makes the difference between winning a match and losing it."
Forget's analysis was spot on, but even he couldn't hide from the grim position that France is now in:
"It is disappointing because I thought at 1-all we still had a bit of a chance. 0-2 is getting very, very difficult, almost impossible."
The French will have to climb a mountain the size of the Alps to overcome this deficit against an American team that seems custom-made for Davis Cup play. Roddick and Blake are dedicated singles players who feed off the patriotic fervor that is a part of this competition. Then there are the Bryan brothers, who may be the only players more "into" Davis Cup than their singles teammates. To them, winning the Cup might even be more special than winning a Slam. I'm not certain that James or Andy would make that claim.
Today they face Llodra and Clement, subject to change, of course. Forget can change his doubles team up to an hour before the match, but I can't think of any scenario in which he should, since this pair beat the Bryans at Wimbledon last year. That match was also a best of five, and after pulling the 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 upset, Clement and Llodra were elated. You might remember this gem of a clip from a Monday Net Post last year:
It's also worth mentioning that the Bryans haven't been as sharp in tournament finals (the most pressure-filled match, like today) as they have been in the past. Until last week in Miami, they were 0-4 in 2008. Conspiracy theorists should note that they've had trouble against French teams, losing to Gasquet and Tsonga in the Sydney final, and against Benneteau and Llodra in Las Vegas.
This is Davis Cup, however, where the Bryans have a shield of invincibility surrounding them. The pressure is squarely on France, but if they can somehow get through today with a chance on Sunday, that pressure shifts right back to Blake and Roddick.
I'll close with a quote from Forget about today's doubles rubber. Take it as you wish:
"You know, we have nothing to lose now more than ever. Just go for it. Just enjoy yourself. If you lose, you know, we'll still go home on Tuesday and still be playing Monte-Carlo a week from now. It will be sunny. You'll be driving your sports car. Just go out and play good tennis."